Let a thousand lawyers bloom

THORNS to the Coatesville Area School District — they’re collecting an orchard of them — for payments to yet a seventh law firm in the Chester County District Attorney’s grand jury investigation related to the departure of two former administrators. This one is to represent the school district’s Director of Human Resources Erika Zeigler. According to invoices obtained by the Daily Local News on Monday, two payments were made to Platt, DiGiorgio & DiFabio, totaling $2,750. The first payment was made on Feb. 21 for $1,425 and the second was made on April 8 for $1,325. Legal representation for the school district increased drastically after former Superintendent Richard Como and former Director of Athletics and Activities Jim Donato abruptly resigned from their positions and were caught exchanging racially and sexually offensive text messages using school district-issued cell phones. Most prominent among them is the law firm of Conrad O’Brien. They were hired in October by the school board to perform an internal investigation on the possible obstruction by school board members, school district solicitor James Ellison and his former law firm Rhoads & Sinon in the Chester County District Attorney’s Office criminal investigation regarding the departures of Como and Donato. Conrad O’Brien was also appointed to represent the board in the grand jury investigation. The school district has spent over $700,000 in legal fees since the start of 2014, about half on grand jury-related matters. Meanwhile, the internal investigation by Conrad O’Brien to the school board is still awaiting release. Where is it?

ROSES TO local government officials for lining up to oppose Sunoco Logistics attempts to circumvent any local regulation of their new pipeline project through their communities for their Mariner East project. Local government officials, residents and environmental groups have recently submitted documents opposing Sunoco Logistics quest for a status which would allow them to bypass local regulations. Sunoco is currently in the process of seeking public utility status from the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission for its pumping stations and valve controls in 31 municipalities across the state for its Mariner East Pipeline. Several of these communities are in Chester County. The project looks to “repurpose” — that’s reuse — an 83-year-old pipeline previously used to transport petroleum products to deliver Marcellus Shale natural gas liquids, mainly ethane and propane, to the Marcus Hook refinery. If Sunoco is granted that status, it will be exempt from local regulations and zoning ordinances. No. While the PUC is appropriate to regulate pipelines, communities have been left choking without recourse in the past. Representation by local government for citizens is necessary. As the Chester County Commissioners noted in a June 6 letter any status that would exempt Sunoco from following the Pennsylvania Municipal Planning Code and local zoning would allow a pipeline company to “do as it pleases within any particular municipality without municipal or public review.”

ROSES to the people of Downingtown and the area for the on-going work to build a new home for the Downingtown Library. The borough purchased the building, the former Micken building, from the Downingtown Area School District, Burgess said. The school district previously used the building as its administration building. at 122 Wallace Avenue. Library officials are working to raise the remaining $1.1 million for the $2.2 million project. West Bradford officials made a $10,000 contribution to the building fund this past week. Supporters of the library are hoping for similar contributions from other adjoining municipalities to help move the project along.